Goodbye Z-Dog

We had to say farewell to the famous ZDG 450 (aka: Z-Dog) today. This has been the Jeep's name since it came into the family in 2002. Sad times...well, now our little Jeep is a Florida resident, officially. It's funny how you don't really think you're attached to being a resident of any certain state until you have to change that residency and it stings a little. Luckily for us, our identity is not really in a particular state, country, or even family name, but rather in Jesus Christ alone. I'll tell you, that is incredible comfort when moving around and getting acclimated to very foreign cultures, even here in the beautiful USA. It's so nice to remember that this is not our home, so there is no need to become comfortable in it. "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ..." (Phil 3:20)

We're looking forward to the holidays and getting to be with our family and friends once again. But we also thank God daily that He has brought us here to Florida and introduced us to a family of believers who have really embraced these "Oregonians," and shown us a kind of friendship that we may not have known otherwise. We love you all (I think we might have a whopping four people who read our blog...thank you to our fans). Have a happy Thursday and rejoice in knowing we have a better Place waiting for us.

Our Trip to North Carolina

We spent the last few days up in North Carolina visiting Nate, Megan, and their new baby girl, Grace. It was nice because Mom Anderson was there, too, so we all were able to spend some time together. Here are some pictures of our time there. Nate & John kayaked out to a secluded island on the Outer Banks...and they are posing with a whale vertebrae that they found there. We all met up at Atlantic Beach and had fun at the ocean. Nate & John snorkeled some, and Grace is showing you what we girls did most of that day (relaxed!).


And, of course, we were there to meet this incredible little girl, and she is even better in person than what we heard over the phone and through pictures! Grace Elizabeth truly is a doll and both Uncle John and Aunt Anna are crazy about her.

A Couple of New Additions

Well, we've found some fun things to add to our household. The first will be a necessity in a few months; we have a crib! The picture below is the crib with our "farm" bedding.

John found a great deal on this lifejacket. While I was uploading pictures he wanted me to try it on to see how it fits...thus this picture is here on our blog.
And the final BIG exciting addition: Our new canoe!!! It's an Old Town, for those of you who know about canoes. We can't wait to go out on it...probably tomorrow after church.

Living in Milton is definitely a learning experience in every way: the food, the people, the environment. We are in a different culture, there is no way around it, but we are becoming more comfortable here and we will enjoy calling Florida "home" for the next couple of years.